Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-19

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

In many countries, people are now living longer than ever before. Some people say an aging population creates problems for governments. Other people think there are benefits if society has more elderly people.

To what extent do the advantages of having an aging population outweigh the disadvantages?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 6.0)

Nowadays a large number of people have higher life expectancy because of better facilities and modern healthcare systems. Due to this, I largely agree that ageing population can severely affect the economic instability.

The prime reason is that older adults need more chronic disease treatment and long-term care systems. As people grow older, they cannot cook and clean alone because their bones become weak and muscle get soft due to this healing takes significantly more time. As a result, the government not only needs to adjust health care staff but also more budget is required to accommodate the older people. For example, Japan has the largest life expectancy compared with other countries, which is causing low birthrate.

Another important reason is that it can leads to limited opportunities for young people. This is because older individuals will enjoy the long-term careers instead of retiring early. In addition, their productivity also declines as they grow compared to youngsters. Consequently, young people have to wait longer for a stable career to get competitive salaries. For instance, Computer science graduates are shifting towards freelancing because older people are not retiring due to which limited opportunities are available.

Some people argue that elderly people are a blessing, they create a healthy society with their experience by passing down cultural traditions, history and valuable lessons to young people. However, I do not find this argument convincing, since the number of disadvantages are far more than advantages.

In conclusion, therefore I strongly support the view that ageing population have detrimental effect on economic budget as well as played a key role in inflation.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt and maintains a clear position throughout. You have identified the disadvantages of an aging population, specifically focusing on healthcare costs and labor market stagnation. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the example regarding Japan is brief and could have been better linked to the argument about economic instability. While you acknowledge the opposing view, the rebuttal is quite short. To reach a higher band, ensure that your supporting examples are more detailed and that you provide a more balanced exploration of the 'advantages' before refuting them, as the prompt asks to what extent the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You use cohesive devices such as 'The prime reason is', 'Another important reason is', and 'Consequently' to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical, and the paragraphing could be improved by ensuring each paragraph focuses on a single, well-developed idea. The referencing is generally clear, though the flow between the counter-argument and your own position could be smoother to better demonstrate the relationship between these ideas.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'life expectancy', 'chronic disease', and 'detrimental effect'. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'economic instability' (which is slightly misused in the context of an aging population) and 'muscle get soft' (which is not a natural collocation). To improve, try to incorporate more precise academic collocations and avoid repetitive phrasing. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, it lacks the sophistication and flexibility required for higher band scores.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'it can leads to' (subject-verb agreement), 'ageing population have' (should be 'an ageing population has'), and 'due to which limited opportunities are available' (awkward syntax). While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of relative clauses. Increasing the variety of complex structures while maintaining accuracy will help you move into the 7.0+ range.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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